Advanced Balancing Serum

These describe what an ingredient is, not whether it is a problem. The stance marks above are the ratings; these are not.

• exfoliating acidSALICYLIC ACID

  • SALICYLIC ACID: A beta hydroxy acid that clears the inside of pores; the EU restricts its level and keeps it off children under three. SCCS Opinion on Salicylic Acid, Submission I (SCCS/1601/18, corrigendum of 20 to 21 June 2019); EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 Annex III entry 98, as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/850, which for purposes other than preservation caps it at 3,0% in rinse-off hair products, 2,0% in other products, and 0,5% in body lotion, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick and roll-on deodorant, and states "Not to be used in preparations for children under 3 years of age." Its separate PRESERVATIVE use sits at Annex V entry 3, capped at 0,5% (acid), where the salts carry the carve-out "except for shampoos".

• humectantGLYCERIN

  • GLYCERIN: A humectant, and one of the two ingredients a comparison of moisturiser components found made a significant difference to skin hydration. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(h), lists glycerin as a skin protectant at 20 to 45%. On the humectant half: Jeong CB, Han JY, Cho JC, Suh KD, Nam GW, "Analysis of electrical property changes of skin by oil-in-water emulsion components", Int J Cosmet Sci 2013;35(4):402-410, DOI 10.1111/ics.12059, PMID 23621673, found that "glycerine and urea showed significant skin hydration effects compared with other humectants".

• soothingNIACINAMIDE, ALLANTOIN

  • NIACINAMIDE: A vitamin B3 form that supports the skin barrier and has anti-inflammatory activity; it turns up in products aimed at acne, rosacea and eczema. Camillo L, Zavattaro E, Savoia P, "Nicotinamide: A Multifaceted Molecule in Skin Health and Beyond", Medicina (Kaunas) 2025;61(2):254, DOI 10.3390/medicina61020254, PMID 40005371, open access: it "is extensively used in ... the treatment of dermatological conditions such as blistering diseases, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and acne vulgaris", and contributes to reducing inflammation. On the acne evidence specifically: Liu H, Yu H, Xia J, Liu L, Liu GJ, Sang H, Peinemann F, "Topical azelaic acid, salicylic acid, nicotinamide, sulphur, zinc and fruit acid (alpha-hydroxy acid) for acne", Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020;5:CD011368, DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD011368.pub2, PMID 32356369, records "low-quality evidence" for every nicotinamide comparison it could pool, and none of its four nicotinamide studies measured the physician global assessment at all.
  • ALLANTOIN: A skin protectant used at low levels in products aimed at irritated skin. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(a), lists allantoin as a skin-protectant active at 0,5 to 2%. Its labelled indications are 21 CFR 347.50(b)(1), "temporarily protects minor: cuts, scrapes, burns", and (b)(2), which covers chafed, chapped or cracked skin. The monograph does not give it the "minor skin irritation and itching" wording; that one belongs to colloidal oatmeal, sodium bicarbonate and one combination, and to topical starch without the itching half.